The Tipster February 24, 2010 FEARS over the size of Japan’s public debt have been growing since the onset of the Greek debt crisis. However, comparisons between Japan and Greece look over- done. Japan’s debt is mostly held by domestic investors, and the yield at which it can borrow is below that of Greece. This is helping ease investors’ fears [...]
INVESTORS’ GLOSSARY February 24, 2010 DISCOUNT RATE Last week the Federal Reserve announced that it would raise the discount rate by 25 basis points to 0.75 per cent. But what is the discount rate? According to the Federal Reserve Board, it is the interest rate charged to commercial banks and other depository institutions on loans they receive from their regional [...]
LISTED PRODUCT NEWS February 24, 2010 EXCHANGE TRADED CURRENCIES ETF Securities has just launched 10 new currency ETCs which will be listed on the German stock exchange. The new ETCs offer investors long or short exposure to the euro against other G10 currencies, including sterling, the yen, the Swiss franc, the Norwegian krone and the Swedish krona. The sovereign risk problems [...]
Only timely exit strategies will restore trust in Club Med states February 24, 2010 ONE year after the global bank crisis, investors’ worries have shifted from bank debt to sovereign debt. Western governments’ public deficits have grown considerably in a double-whammy of bank bailouts and fiscal stimulus. Those who question the effectiveness of the various stimulus programmes need only look at the sluggish growth in the fourth quarter of [...]
It’s time for some Eastern exposure February 24, 2010 THE financial crisis has only highlighted China’s position as the next economic superpower. Increasing investor interest in the world’s most populous country is underlined by tomorrow’s launch of fund management firm Fidelity’s China Special Situations Fund, which is run by its star asset manager Anthony Bolton. He plans to invest in Chinese companies that are [...]
An MBA is the gateway to the international marketplace February 24, 2010 AN Australian-born executive based in London and married to a South African banker, Nick Kontopoulos could be seen as the very essence of today’s globe-trotting business internationalist. However it wasn’t until his MBA studies led him to China that he thought that he might end up living and working there. Kontopoulos, a marketing business developer [...]
To get on the right MBA course, be prepared to jump through hoops February 24, 2010 Taking a two year break from your career to study, and spending tens of thousands of pounds in the process, is up there with buying a house or getting married when it comes to serious, life-changing decisions. In the past decade the commercial success of MBA courses has seen them proliferate at hundreds of institutions, [...]
PROACTIVE APPLICANT | MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN February 24, 2010 IF you want to be a successful MBA candidate, then you should make sure that the people who run the course know you even before you send in your application. When your CV drops on the doorman, that shouldn’t be the first time it has heard from you. Most schools have online application forms, but you [...]
GETTING PICKED | ARE YOU DESIRABLE? February 24, 2010 GETTING on to an MBA course is not just about what it offers you, but what you can offer it. Business schools will put together cohorts that don’t simply contain the best candidates, but the right cross-section of nationalities, backgrounds and experience to build the most dynamic team. Programmes are generally structured in such a [...]
Business needs to win back public trust February 24, 2010 LET’S be blunt: there’s a serious problem with corporate governance. Corporate trust is being eroded and unless something is done, this trend will continue. Edelman PR publish an annual Trust Barometer, which tracks public trust in major institutions across all sectors. The latest barometer shows – unsurprisingly – that trust in politics was “volatile”, while [...]